Gold Vermeil, Gold Plated, Gold Filled: What the Terms Mean
Updated: Aug 19
Three terms appear on gold-colored jewelry, and they are not interchangeable. Two of them are defined in US federal regulation. The third is often used where none of the definitions apply.
Gold plated
A layer of gold applied over a base metal. The FTC sets no minimum thickness for the layer and no requirement for what sits underneath — brass, copper, and nickel alloys are all common. A piece marked gold plated can carry a layer measured in fractions of a micron.
Gold filled
A gold layer mechanically bonded to a base metal core, where the gold makes up at least 1/20 of the total weight. Thicker than plating, and the ratio is defined. The core is still base metal.
Gold vermeil
Two conditions, both required by the FTC:
the base must be sterling silver — not brass, not copper
the gold layer must be at least 2.5 microns thick, at 10 karat or finer
Vermeil is the only one of the three that specifies a precious metal underneath. That is the distinction that matters: with plated and filled, what remains when the surface wears is base metal. With vermeil, it is silver.
Where RyKier sits
Plated pieces in this catalogue are 18K gold vermeil over .925 sterling silver, at 2.5 microns.
Rhodium is not gold, and not vermeil
Rhodium is a platinum-group metal, applied as a bright white surface over silver. It is a separate process at a different thickness, and it is named separately on every piece that carries it. A rhodium-plated piece is not vermeil and is not described as such.
Reading a listing
Gold tone, gold finish, gold colored — these describe appearance, not composition. No regulatory definition applies to any of them.
Solid gold means the metal is gold throughout, with the karat stated.
If a listing says vermeil, the base and the thickness are both claimed. Ask for the number if it is not printed.
Every piece here states the base metal, the plating, and the thickness in the Details panel. If a figure is missing from a listing — here or anywhere — that is the question to ask before buying.
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